Workshop set on realignment of Sudderth Drive in Ruidoso

Number of lanes in preferred design will dictate parking and bike access

One of the issues examined in a possible realignment of Sudderth Drive/New Mexico 48 through Midtown Ruidoso is how to deal with delivery trucks that block a full lane of traffic. (Dianne Stallings — Ruidoso News)

A second stakeholders workshop on proposals to realign Sudderth Drive through the historic Midtown Ruidoso shopping core is set for Sept. 25.

Representatives of Parsons Brinckerhoff, the company handling the Phase 1-A alignment study for New Mexico Highway 48 through the state Department of Transportation, sent notices that the session will run from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Ruidoso Convention Center.

"At this particular workshop, participants will have an opportunity to provide input on the refined alternatives being developed based on the data collected since March," said planner Lesley Maurer. Anyone interested in participating should contact Maurer at maurerll@pbworld.com.

The public meeting on the realignment will be scheduled for late October or early November to go over the findings of parking and traffic studies of the refined roadway design alternatives and the impacts and costs of each, Maurer said.

Since the first public meeting in January, the project team has collected input and traffic data, and developed roadway design alternatives. The first stakeholders meeting was March 27. Alternatives presented at that workshop included a three-lane alignment with bike lanes, but no parking; a four-lane alignment with on-street parking; and a five-lane alignment with bike lanes, no parking and roundabout intersections.

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Changes in the roadway design are being pushed by some Midtown merchants and others who want to improve the flow of traffic and enhance the safety of drivers and pedestrians without distracting from the tourist-related businesses in the district.